A Beautiful Sight
by Sunscorched
Summary: She's happy tonight, walking in a winter wonderland.


Title: A Beautiful Sight

Author: Scorch

Email: Miss_

Rating: PG

Category: Romance/Humour

Content: Sarah/Jareth

Summary: She's happy tonight, walking in a winter wonderland.

Disclaimer: I own nixies

Distribution: and my place.

Notes: This is just a quick excercise to get me back into the swing before I resume Food For Thought. Enjoy.

A Beautiful Sight...

He could have given her so many things, granted so many of her wishes.

If she wished for a necklace full of diamonds and rubies, he could grant it with no more than a snap of his fingers.

If she wanted a roomful of gowns made of starlight and sunbeams, he could have them made with no more than a word from his lips.

If she wished for a clean throne room with no kegs of ale or chickens in sight, he could order it with no more than a look from his eyes.

If she wanted a night of passion beside a roaring fire fuelled by fragrant wood, he could do it with no more than an opening of his arms.

Had she wished for a necklace full of diamonds and rubies? No. Had she wanted a roomful of gowns made from starlight and sunbeams? No. Had she wished for a clean throne room with no kegs of ale or chickens in sight? No. Had she wanted a night of passion beside a roaring fire fuelled by fragrant wood? No.

She hadn't wished or wanted for anything.

Instead, she had begged.

She had turned to him and his ability to deny her anything disappeared.

Her lovely little hands had clasped together, those expressive green eyes had grown wide with desperate hope, and she had spoken.

"_Oh, please, Jareth? Can we? Can we, please? Can we? Can we?_"

He had ended her begging and pleading right then and there.

Had he known then what he knew now, he most certainly would have said a very firm no.

Jareth glared out across the Labyrinth until he could take the sight no more and looked to the high ceiling as thought it could help.

His kingdom was white.

As in snow white.

There wasn't a part of the Goblin City and surrounding dwellings left untouched.

Rooves, his castle walls, the cannons, and most horrendously, his Labyrinth.

What had once been a force not to be trifled with was now a place perfect for tourists and postcards worthy of being sold Above.

Yes, tourists.

He spotted several kings and queens frolicking around the City and he knew several more had wandered into the Labryinth itself, their artists following close behind.

He tried, honestly tried, to see not a ruined reputation or kingdom, but he couldn't. All he could see was snow.

Lots and lots of snow.

For heaven's sake, there was so much snow, he couldn't even see one entrance to one of his best placed oubliettes and the very sight of the Labyrinth was almost enough to bring him to tears.

The winding paths and misleading trails, trees and hedges...

All of it was white and fluffy.

His Labyrinth was _fluffy_.

Not to mention cold.

His kingdom was white and fluffy and cold and there wasn't a blasted thing he could do about it.

At least, not without causing an uproar and by the looks of things, a possible war.

He would have expected the elves or dwarves or goblins to be the most enthusiastic, but no.

It was the Labyrinth's very own fairies and there were swarms of the vicious little blighters.

Oh, he could appreciate a good bout of torment, but what they were doing was simply downright evil.

One swarm comprised of at least one hundred fairies and each fairy had tiny hands that held held tiny balls of snow. They were diving down, grabbing handfuls after handfuls of snow, flying high and then pretty much dive bombing every person they could possibly get.

Another swarm had at least two hundred and seventy of them. Two hundred and seventy fairies equalled five hundred and forty hands and Jareth simply cringed at the thought of five hundred and forty balls of snow hurtling towards his person.

Not that they would dare throw them towards their king...

Oh, who in the Underground was he attempting to convince?

Those ruthless beings would do such a thing and more.

Not that there weren't other creatures in his kingdom who would partake in such a thing, because there were. Too many creatures, as it happened.

Jareth looked again and again he tried not to see a ruined kingdom, and again he failed.

He just knew the castle floors were going to be covered in white footprints and ohhhhh...

The Escher room was going to be nightmare to have cleaned.

His oncoming headache was removed by the voice of the she in question.

"You not coming outside?"

The king turned to face Sarah and the sight of her shouldn't have surprised him at all. Her nose was red, her cheeks were pink, her black hair was white as snow, and despite the mittens on her hands, she was rubbing them warm. He glanced at her feet and yes, there were shoe prints behind her.

"And make a spectacle of myself?" He graced her with a look that answered his own question.

"It's fun!"

"That's why you closely resemble a walking icicle?"

He watched as her mouth dropped adorably open and her eyes drift down over herself, before moving back to meet his. "Oh!"

"Oh indeed, my dear," he said. "Perhaps you might give more thought to a night of passion in front of a roaring fire fuelled by fragrant wood?"

He must have conveyed something in his expression because hers gave two very different answers. One was sudden and so very telling. Green eyes lit up as bright as the blasted tree in the throne room and her smile flashed teeth as white as the blasted snow outside.

The other, however, was more slow to show and came via a dulling of the brighteness in her eyes and a turning of her smile and her head made a subconcious move so she could look over her shoulder. When her gaze yet again returned to his, he saw both want and reluctance.

Jareth sighed. "What is next, Sarah?" He asked wearily. "Turning the Bog into a skating rink, perhaps? After all, blocked noses cannot smell. Or perhaps you wish to decorate the hedge maze with tinsel and baubles?"

"Ooh!" She exclaimed. "I never thought of that!"

"And you never will," he mumbled before gracing her with a fake smile. "So, what is the next grand event to be?"

She giggled. "We're gonna make Ludo the first walking, talking snowman."

Jareth winced at the images now taking up permanent residence in his brain. "He is not allowed within the castle."

"I know," she replied all too quickly. "The cooks purposely prepared broth yesterday and it's getting heated up now. It's gonna be served all piping hot and steaming."

She was completely ignorant of the clumps of snow being shaken to the floor as she jumped up and down with a laugh of delight.

Wasn't she an excitable little thing?

"You have to come, Jareth! It'll be fun!" Then she descended into silence accompanied by gentle twisting of her shoulders, angelic smile, and batting eyes.

Did she really thing he couldn't see what she was doing? Unfortunately, he could see what she was doing and as always, his ability to deny her nothing disappeared.

He sighed. "Very well, but know this. I'm doing this against my very..."

His words were cut off by two wet arms going around his neck and an ice cold set of lips pressing his cheek. He shuddered as her nose nuzzled his throat. "Mmm, you're warm."

Jareth cursed himself as he responded, pulling her closer and wrapping his cloak as much around her as possible. "And you, dear Sarah, are an icicle."

She pulled away far too fast for his liking. "C'mon, let's mingle."

"If I must."

"Yes, you must," and no sooner had they appeared outside, Jareth was immediately accosted by a variety of things.

Fairies sent their weapons his way, a chorus of greetings drowned out Sarah's explaining of the festivities, and a hand the size of the devil's foot collided with his right shoulder blade.

It was cold and fluffy and noisy and it was hell.

He had died and was in hell.

If that wasn't enough, Hoggle scuttled over with a bowl of hot broth in his hands. "Great party, yer majesty. Can't wait for the next one."

Jareth glanced down at Sarah with an arching eyebrow. "_Next_ one?"


End file.
